How Much Did You Spend on Bait this Season?

[hammer4reel]

3 hours ago, BowhunterNJ said:

LOL, of course they are.  The stories of how he got them are still interesting!

I know, just had to say it though lol

[NorthNJHunter]

$0

[kanigie]

4 hours ago, BowhunterNJ said:

I'm curious of the story to those 3 bucks.  Pre-scouted and pre-picked stand locations, or were you hunting on the fly in a terrain feature/funnel you identified?

I look for funnels between what I think is good bedding locations based of satelite and topo maps. I'll climb the tree to cut lanes in the winter/early spring, leave a reflective tack and mark a waypoint on  GPS.  I save these trees for early Nov to catch the big boys cruising checking for hot does. 

[JHbowhunter]

Barry and Gene Wensel are the best deer hunters on earth.  They have the properties, they have the time to properly scout, the luxury of many many stand choices based on the wind, the time to practice with their trad gear,  and the experience of repeating the same year after year.    Two guys I admire - a lot.  

However - I would never pretend to be in their league.

I like most of you hunt primarily in NJ and am blessed to get out of state once in a while.  

I have a demanding job, grueling commute, and limited time and property to hunt compared to them. I suspect most of NJ hunters are in the same boat. So  I don't expect to have the same experiences. Once in a blue moon, I am lucky to even see a buck they might consider shooting, let alone get a shot at one.      

Therefore I am willing to try every legal thing I know possible, to my advantage.  Mostly my advantage is knowing when to move in and when to avoid, based on knowledge of the deer I hunt and the conditions. 

I think I have 17 or 18 mounts now since 2002 - I think about 5 of them were on or near a bait site. They are all bow kills, I have - 

a) never shot a mature buck with a gun

b) never shot a buck with bow any later than November 20 (Ohio) and November 18 (NJ).  I did miss a giant NJ buck in open field on November 20 a few years ago, so November 20ths is about the limits to my success.

c) I do get tons of pics and a lot of bucks hitting bait after 6 day, through January -but not once has it paid off. Maybe this weekend it will over in zone 2, the only spot I have anything I would consider shooting. My zone 5 spots never quite recover from the raping and pillaging of 6-day and the continuation of gun season and illegal deer drives, as well as more and more interlopers moving in with more bait than one would think is humanly possible. 

Like I first said - make it legal, I will use it wisely, outlaw it and I won't lose a minute of sleep either. I really  don't care.   I would rather be Gene and Barry any day. 

[_X7]

I had that little spike four point harassing does around 4:00 . I was looking out my bathroom window while taking a break from reloading the OS and software in my laptop. The deer are up in the new grass in the field feeding good. Just might have to go buy a big bag of go sit and wait tomorrow afternoon. Maybe the big 8 will be joining them .

[Nomad]

5 minutes ago, JHbowhunter said:

Barry and Gene Wensel are the best deer hunters on earth.  They have the properties, they have the time to properly scout, the luxury of many many stand choices based on the wind, the time to practice with their trad gear,  and the experience of repeating the same year after year.    Two guys I admire - a lot.  

However - I would never pretend to be in their league.

Two entertaining guys to watch, but no better hunters than a lot of guys out there.   They did what they had to do to gain fame and notoriety and that is to their credit. 

My money would be on you to shoot just as many big bucks as them on the same properties and that goes for quite a few guys on here.

[MPSR]

30 bucks. waste and boring to sit by a pile and wait.

[rossbowhunter]

14 hours ago, Lunatic said:

800 hrs? do you work? 800 hrs is 5 hrs every single day of deer season Are you sure you meant 800?

yes i work, for myself...and i do A LOT of woods time....hence the delay in getting back to your ? I was in the woods, hunting.....

[Bojaffa]

14 dollars. 

[archer36]

13 hours ago, JHbowhunter said:

Could not agree more. Do NOT hunt food sources in mornings during winter. All my cams suggest this is a huge no-no.  I love hunting mornings in the oaks September-October though as I feel that is best time for that. Get on tha acorns hour before daylight while they are still in the fields.  If u bait or hunt a major food source  now- when acorns are long gone all u will do is push the deer off before u even get close and after getting g beat up by humans for over 4 months they ain’t coming back for you to shoot 

Just for edification, I did not hunt a "food source". It's a strip of woods deer use as a travel corridor. 

[Buck154]

12 hours ago, JHbowhunter said:

a) never shot a mature buck with a gun

b) never shot a buck with bow any later than November 20 (Ohio) and November 18 (NJ).  I did miss a giant NJ buck in open field on November 20 a few years ago, so November 20ths is about the limits to my success.

c) I do get tons of pics and a lot of bucks hitting bait after 6 day, through January -but not once has it paid off. Maybe this weekend it will over in zone 2, the only spot I have anything I would consider shooting. My zone 5 spots never quite recover from the raping and pillaging of 6-day and the continuation of gun season and illegal deer drives, as well as more and more interlopers moving in with more bait than one would think is humanly possible. 

Like I first said - make it legal, I will use it wisely, outlaw it and I won't lose a minute of sleep either. I really  don't care.   I would rather be Gene and Barry any day. 

A.. i have only shot one mature buck with a gun. 4.5 year old . Haven't hunted gun much since i started hunting mature bucks.

B.. i have sho a couple Mature bucks late. My best was that mid 120s class 6pt i shot with the bow on February 6. He was 5.5 year old. Came in for food with 4 other bucks.

C.. Every year have mature one on camera late season but its hard to get on them in legal light. Need the cold weather.

I think most guys that don't bait are hunting deer foing to someones bait. 

[SPEARFISH]

Quote

Every year have mature one on camera late season but its hard to get on them in legal light. Need the cold weather.

Same here.  I think they are better at patterning me than I am them.

[tcook8296]

6 hours ago, rossbowhunter said:

yes i work, for myself...and i do A LOT of woods time....hence the delay in getting back to your ? I was in the woods, hunting.....

I do the same except even when Im hunting Im still working. 

Employees calling, customers calling ,emails , texts. I could only imagine my success would increase if people would stop calling me when Im in the tree. Plenty of times calls have dropped wink wink when deer are approaching. Ha. Sorry about that lol

The best one is why you whispering?

Edited January 4, 2019 by tcook8296

[tcook8296]

2 hours ago, Buck154 said:

 

I think most guys that don't bait are hunting deer foing to someones bait. 

I have a guy that hunts the neighboring property, he likes to try and get on the main trails leading to my bait and food plots. 

The last 2 years before the gun season, I move the bait about 200 yards. It alters the deers path in and out of the property. Its been quiet over there 6 day since I started doing that

[KBfishing]

Lets put this question in perpective with other enjoyments of life. How much did you spend on alcohol this year.  Lets see you guys crunch those numbers!